TikTok thumbnail and cover maker
On this page
ClipFlame makes TikTok covers with your face. Add a photo of yourself and screenshots from the video, pick the 9:16 format and a Shorts layout, and you get two 1080 × 1920 covers with your face and a short headline in the centre of the frame, clear of TikTok's profile-grid crop. Upload it as the cover from your photos when you post.
On the For You page, nobody sees your cover: the video just plays. The cover matters on your profile, where new followers decide what to watch next, and in TikTok search. A grid of designed covers with clear titles gets people watching three videos instead of one.
TikTok cover sizes
| Where it shows | What's visible |
|---|---|
| Upload | 1080 × 1920 (9:16) |
| Your profile grid | Roughly the middle 3:4 of the frame |
| Search results | The cover, smaller, with the caption under it |
Keep text inside the middle of the frame and away from the bottom fifth, where TikTok's caption and buttons sit on the video itself.
How to set a custom TikTok cover
- Download the cover from ClipFlame.
- In TikTok, after editing your video, tap Edit cover on the posting screen.
- Choose to upload from your photos and pick the cover. Some accounts can only pick a frame from the video; in that case, add the cover as the first frame of the video.
- Post.
TikTok lets you change the cover for a short time after posting. If the option is gone, you'd have to delete and repost.
Cover ideas for TikTok
- Series covers. "Part 3" on the same design as parts 1 and 2 keeps a series binge-able.
- Question covers. "Is this worth $40?" gives search viewers a reason to tap.
- Face and reaction for storytime and commentary.
Clips for TikTok, with covers
ClipFlame's YouTube to TikTok tool cuts TikToks out of your long videos with captions. Each clip has a Thumbnail button for its own cover.
Common questions
What size is a TikTok cover?
1080 × 1920 pixels, 9:16. ClipFlame downloads at exactly that size.
Do TikTok covers affect the algorithm?
The For You feed plays the video, so the cover doesn't decide reach there. It does affect what people tap on your profile and in search.
Can ClipFlame post the cover to TikTok for me?
TikTok's posting API doesn't take a custom image, only a frame from the video. When ClipFlame's scheduler posts to TikTok, you pick the cover frame. Upload a designed cover by hand in the app.